Dare You To Move
by Gunblade13
Summary: This story takes place post-FFVII, and will carry on after DoC. 60 Chapters. Skylar Genttean was raised as a mechanic by her departed father, and wishes to leave for Edge, wanting to make amends and help the Planet. This story will follow her adventures as she meets and bonds with all our heroes, overcomes her fear of dying, and leaves her mark on the world. Might be CloudXOC.
1. Chapter 1

Hello Everyone! This story is going to contain a whole lot of chapters, almost 70ish, but it wont be boring I promise! its going to be about Skylar's life, at the beginning it will centre around her, but after a few chapters it will start to drift off to other characters, like Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Cid, Vincent, Yuffie, Nanaki, Reno and even a few unscheduled appearance by some characters we love but haven't been able to see for long. I've worked a lot on the character arc, and did my best to make her as human as possible. i hope you enjoy the story, and i would really love it if you could review it for me!

* * *

Chapter One:

It required a lot of focus, a lot of care and attention. Even so much as a shake would ruin everything. Her arms and back were aching, and her neck was throbbing, but she wasn't about to quit now. Quitting now meant ruining the decoration, and she needed to finish the damn twirl before she takes a break; she had to. Maybe that was a little OCD, but if she wanted to be proud of her work she has to do it right.

Skylar Genttean -who preferred to be called Sky- was leaning over a large fresh-out-of-the-oven cake. With a squeeze bottle filled with blue decorative icing in her left hand, and her other arm steadying her precariously. She was standing next to the pink counter of her mother's bakery; Calla's Bunnery. The air smelt of freshly baked bread, melted chocolate, and a hint of vanilla, mixed with the distinct sweet smell of icing and lots of sugar.

She could almost count the millimetres left; almost there, almost there… _almost there__…_ done!

Success!

She pulled herself up to stand straight. stretching her back, she sighed heavily.

She glanced around, it was still early in the morning, and the shop was still closed. There was no one but her standing in the pink and white lace bakery. The glass case fridge was packed full with cakes, pies, brownies and cookies, and the shelves behind her was stacked with an assortment of breads, donuts, and rolls. The shop itself had a couple of tables and chairs placed around the area. The tables were covered with white lace cloth, and the chairs were light shades of pink, blue, and yellow. The pink counter she was standing behind, had the cash register, also painted a light shade of blue, and placed neatly over white lace.

She glanced down, the cake she was working on was complete. It was a birthday cake as it read. Covered in swirls and twirls, it was indeed in the shape of a butterfly. Sky smiled proudly at her handiwork, placing it in a box, and tacking a piece of paper to it, with the words "to Madeline".

There was music playing from a jukebox over in the corner of the room, a familiar song Sky couldn't help but sing along to, she glanced around checking no one was nearby first, as she sang rather off tune. The door to the back room was open, and Sky could feel the heat of the oven radiating through. The phone rang, and she heard her mother pick up, her singsong voice was loud and clear, from dealing with so many elderly customers that were very fond of her apple pie.

"Calla's Bunnery at your service! got a sweet tooth? Today's special is blueberry pie! what're you craving today?" a moment of silence passed as the other party spoke. Sky shuffled around, remembering that she forgot to put on her apron, her mother tends to be very critical of that. She took it out from under the cash register, and quickly pulled it on, tying it behind her waist.

"Rocket shaped double chocolate fudge cookies, you say?" came her mother's answer, interest piquing, Sky walked into the back room to watch her mother, the smell of fresh cut oranges and lemons hit her; her mother was baking a lemon cake. Her mother gave a short laugh, "oh dear me, of course we can!"

Sky rolled her eyes with a smile, her mother sounded so confident of herself just now. Rocket shaped cookies would mean Sky had to go make the pan they were to use, unless they made it into a large rectangle and then cut off the extras, but that would be a waste of good chocolate and flour.

"Two days from now? Alright sir! We are on it!" her mother sang, jotted down a number and hung up the phone.

Sky sighed, another day of blacksmithing. She hated it. It made her anxious.

"You better get started sweetheart, two days isn't that far away," her mother said, taking the slip of paper and tacking it to the wall of papers behind her. Her mother had spent months trying to get Sky used to the complex system on which the papers and slips were organised, from left to right it was organised by day, and from top to bottom by urgency.

"What about the other cakes we need done?" Sky questioned, watching her mother glance into the oven's window. Sky was proud of her oven; she made it when she was still so young, and she took care to make it large enough to bake three pans of cookies, and wide enough to contain two large sized cakes per pan. The window and the small light installed inside took a bit of work, as she had to search for something that could stand the heat, but eventually it all paid off. Her mother seemed quite fond of it.

"Leave them all to me," her mother said. Turning towards her and giving her a warm smile, her grey eyes were twinkling, and her strawberry blond hair was tucked away neatly under her hairnet. She continued authoritatively, a playful smile playing on her lips, "We had a deal, you do the mechanical side of things first, and then you help out with the rest later, without worrying and making me feel like I cant do things on my own."

Sky pouted, she knew she had promised, but she couldn't help but worry. After her father passing away so long ago, Sky always made sure someone was around her mother, to watch over her and make sure she had everything she needed.

"I had everything under control even before you came home, you know!" Her mother poked lightly, turning round and grabbing her oven mitts. It was true, life had been different when Sky wasn't around, her mother got by just fine without her, she was sure. But at the same time, she still worries for her sometimes. Her mother never really did well with being alone, or so Sky believed.

"Alright," Sky began, slipping off her apron, "I'll be out back, in the forge."

"Mm," her mother nodded, humming a tune to herself as she watched the pie she was baking rise.

"Don't forget the respirator, dear," she heard her add.

Sky turned to exit the kitchen, and her eyes caught sight of a familiar face on the television screen hanging from the corner of the ceiling. She froze, transfixed by it. Her eyes narrowed and her lips tightened, the more she studied the face of this man, the more hatred mounted up inside her. Light blond hair, blue eyes, and dressed in white. The twenty-four year old prodigy was flanked by two black suits, a blond woman and a wutain man.

Rufus Shin-Ra. Vice President of Shin-Ra Electric Power Company, now President after the death of his father a year ago. the man who sought to control the world with fear. He embodied everything Sky hated; as a person he was a terrible monster, but he also reminded her of her time working at Shin-Ra. She was recruited by order of said Vice President, 'Your technical and mechanical prowess is far too palpable to forgo', said the recruitment letter.

Sky glared at the screen.

She could remember how difficult it had been to leave her mother behind, but they had needed the money. If she thought about it from a financial perspective, taking the job was the smartest thing she had ever done, without it they wouldn't have had the luxury of opening a bakery, as it was a fairly expensive trade.

She sighed, she remembered working hard, and trying to climb the corporate ladder, she had the feeling of being pulled out of the darkness and into the light, and then trying to take in as much light as she could. She remembered pining after other engineers' knowledge and information, afraid of missing out on anything.

But this man, he was a monster. The Planet was slowly dying, everyone knew that. It was his fault, but it was also hers; she was part of ShinRa. She worked for him, for the company that killed the Planet, and she hated him even more for being the reason for her recruitment.

"Honey?" came her mother's soothing voice, a gentle hand on her shoulder snapping her out of her reverie.

Sky turned to look at her mother, she had a concerned look etched on her face. Sky tried to give her a big smile, to push away the worry, but she failed, she knew her mother could see through her.

"That easy to read, huh?" Sky chuckled.

"I'm your mother, of course I can read you, like an open book too!" She nodded. She glanced at the television screen, and watched Rufus Shin-Ra murmur silently about the importance of finishing the Meteor Monument, which stood tall behind him, towering in the middle of Edge. She sighed, "Cain says he has Geostigma."

"Of course he does, the Planet must hate his guts," Sky muttered darkly, hinting at the rumour that Geostigma, the plague ravaging the Planet's inhabitants, was the own Planet's creation.

"I know you hate him, but at least he had the common sense to fire you and make you leave Midgar before AVALANCHE broke it, dear."

"I'm sure he didn't fire me for that reason, mom," Sky drawled, "he isn't that kind or thoughtful. He broke the Planet, not AVALANCHE."

"Well, the Planet is like everything else, it lives and it eventually dies," her mother said, walking towards the back window, glancing out to the backyard, towards a specific stone under a large oak tree. It was at moments like these, when her mother's voice is heavy with wisdom, that Sky became aware of the weight her mother carried on her shoulders, the weight they shared.

Sky bit her lip, regretting the direction the conversation took. She knew what her mother was looking at. She crossed her arms over her chest, and stared away from her mother. absentmindedly touching the little scar on her jaw, a little ways left of her chin, as she thought of how she could have guided the conversation away from this.

"You're right," Sky began, "Everything dies eventually, but I'm not about to roll over that easy, and neither are you, you don't have a choice! We're in this together, mom."

Her mother gave a light laugh, nodding her head. Sky moved forward and gave her a bear hug, planting a kiss on her mother's cheek.

Once outside, Sky made her way through the grassy garden, past the rusty old swing chair, and without a single glance, deliberately passed right by her father's tombstone under the large oak tree, and into the dimly lit forge.

The smell of metal and wood, of copper, of rust and corrosion and the faint hint of WD-40 hung in the air. The messy place was furbished with a stone and brick furnace, next to it were remnants of her father's days; coal. He had been traditional in his ways and liked to use coal.

Every time she looked at those coals, she remembered thinking as a child, who coveted her mother's beautiful strawberry blond hair that reminded her of sunshine, that maybe if her father hadn't used so much coal he wouldn't have given her his black hair, that maybe under all that coal-y black lay equally beautiful 'sunshine' hair. and she remembered her mother consoling her, that though she may not have had the 'sunshine hair' she wanted, she had 'midnight hair', which was equally as great and beautiful.

She sighed, crossing her arms as she shook her head. She remembered thinking, that at least she had her mother's stormy grey eyes and not his gloomy black ones.

After coming back from Shin-Ra, and realising it might be more lucrative for the two of them if she helped the town's people by rebuilding broken things, she had modified the old coal furnace by installing a fan and a gas dispenser. Because she preferred to use propane gas which was cleaner and more convenient, although the old furnace was large, which meant it was a lot more time consuming to heat it, but she was used to that sort of hassle at this point.

An acetylene torch stood over to the side, with several canisters by it. From the ceiling hung several clamps, tongs, and hammers of different sizes and shapes, each one served a specific purpose. Propped against the wall were steel rods, and flat stock. A vise and anvil stood side by side in the middle. The little forge contained everything a blacksmith needed.

She walked to her respirator as her mother advised, and pulled it on, covering her mouth and lips, and buckled on its belt. Next were her gloves and the welding mask, which was a shield of hardened glass, that wrapped around her face and held to her chin. She was very fond of the mask as it made her feel like a hardcore motorcyclist, who sped so fast the air became too thin to breathe.

Slipping on her gloves, she quickly went about her work, grabbing a flat stock and laying it over the table, and the acetylene torch. She cut a large rectangle, having its specs already memorised from making so many things for the oven. Threw it in the furnace, lighting the pilot light of the gas, and flicking on the fan.

Next, she took out a block of wood, and proceeded to draw out the shape of a rocket, and began to cut it out using a jigsaw. Slowly but surely she traced it, and popped out the shape.

She searched the room for aluminium blocks to melt; coating the steel with aluminium was a must to make it food friendly. She walked back to the furnace turning the steel rectangle over with a clamp. It was slowly getting hotter and hotter by the second. She took a moment to step out of the forge.

She stared up at the sky, it was noon now. Her mother had lit up the lights outside for her. She turned to take a seat, a chair was neatly placed right next to the door, the chair she used to sit in as a kid and watch her father work.

The place was riddled with memories she wanted to keep away, and yet after the destruction of Midgar, she had no choice but to remain with her mother, not that she minded her mother of course, on the contrary her mother meant the world to her, but she didn't like having to work in her father's old forge.

Granted, her mother needed a mechanic and a smithy by her side as she had a habit of challenging nearly impossible cake shapes, and man-handling some of the tech she owned. But working there put Sky on edge, and made her revisit memories she would rather bury away.

She glanced at the table next to her, spotting her journal, -now covered in bits of saw and flecks of metal, and flipped its pages. The first half of it contained notes of the information she had gathered while working at Shin-Ra. She read past a few as she flipped the pages; '_for inducing higher bullet count for handheld machine gun, need bigger clip, consider using round-shape, might cause worse aim_.' and '_Buster Swords not aerodynamic, need redesign despite charm,_' and '_Mythril stronger and lighter than steel, experiment with armour or weapons_'.

She rolled her eyes, the tone she used when jotting down information made her sound like some foreign mad scientist.

She continued flipping over the pages, the last few were of her last experiment, the one that resulted in her quitting. While experimenting with the Mythril shields, bodysuits and armour, the test subject had been recently infused and augmented with Mako, which is the liquid form of the Planet's Lifestream that is used as a power source.

He was still covered in it because he had been "_too lazy to take a shower, __I __mean, really, who believes all the shit they tell you about Mako poisoning,__ I__ keep telling them, come on man, get your shit together and bare with the smell. wait, sweetcheeks, are you one of those sensitve-nose types?_". Of course, he had failed to mention this before, and only thought of saying this after she buckled him up from behind and smelt the awful stench of Mako.

The Mythril bodysuit had been a prototype, and unexpectedly had bonded with the Mako on the subjects skin, and resulted in '_deformation of the Mythril/Mako kind, green impenetrable skin, sluggish movement_'. A few days later she got a call, the Mythril had spread through into his body, making him incapable of digestion, and soon died of starvation.

The guilt tortured her, she couldn't bare it, and soon enough she quit her job at Shin-Ra, and left for Kalm. Luckily, she escaped dying via demolition of Midgar, but she couldn't say the same for her dead subject. She had 'forgotten' to mention this to her mother, because she was afraid of the consequences, like a child who had failed an exam at school and was afraid of being told off by their parents, and afraid of dealing with the disappointment.

Sky sighed heavily, although a year had passed, it still hadn't settled very well with her. She knew there was nothing she could have done, it wasn't her fault so much as it had been a combination of faults; her excitement to see her work in action, and his laziness to take a shower, had combined to end his life.

That gave her good enough reason to second guess almost every move she made ever since.

Pushing the memories back down, she flipped through the book once more. Reaching to the most recent entries. A bird's eye view of Calla's Bunnery, a drawing of a toy action figure that a kid broke and she had fixed for him, a map of the city of Edge, several drawings of weapons, a diagram of the Mythril body suit with corrections of her previous model, a sketch of the Meteor Monument with some lyrics of a song jotted over to the side of it.

"_Oh the distance is not do-able_

_in these bodies of clay my brother_

_oh the distance, it makes me uncomfortable_

_guess it's natural to feel this way_

_oh, are we locked into these bodies?_

_let's hold out for somethin' sweeter_

_spread your wings and fly"_

She wanted to go to Edge, she wanted to help the citizens, and make amends. She felt her chest knotting, but at the same time, she didn't know if she would be good enough. It was a scary thing; a man dying at her hands. What's to prevent that from happening again?

* * *

A new day carried new orders and requests for their little bakery. Already into the evening, huddled in the small over-heating kitchen, the pair worked at making a three layered cake. They had successfully placed the layers on top of each other a few hours ago, and left it to set, and were now in the process of decorating it.

"We should put a white base, right?" asked Sky, grabbing hold of a spatula as she dug into the white cream.

"That would take too much time, and would waste too much cream," her mother answered, hands hovering over the cake as she watched it carefully, just in case it decided to fall apart or lean one way. She continued, "look for the food colouring."

"Where…?" Sky began, turning around to search, rummaging through a few cupboards, which was of no use, "where do you put them?"

"You still don't remember?! its already been a year!" her mother groaned, "Aren't you an Engineer? shouldn't you have some sort of memorising ability or something?"

"That's a literature student, I think…" muttered Sky, still opening and closing cupboards in search of the illusive food colouring, she paused for a second pondering her mother's choice of words, "Maybe if you arranged things systematically, it would make more sense and be easier to understand? At least if you forget where something is, you'll find it with logic!"

"Well, how about you 'systematically' and 'logically' get me the food colouring?" her mother mocked.

"Yes, Ma'me," came Sky's joking response, she sighed, taking a step back to be logical about it, "You usually use food colouring with cream, and cream is made from eggs, and the eggs are…" She walked over to the small counter, on which the eggs sat, "which means, the food colouring must be either here, or…" She opened the cupboard above it, "Voila! Logic triumphs!"

"Bring them here, now," her mother murmured absentmindedly, taking the small colourful vials into her hands. She began to quickly separate the cream into three different pots, as Sky began to make more of the cream.

Soon enough, each layer of cake was covered with a separate colour; red, orange and then topped with yellow. For over an hour, the pair experimented with the different shades they could make, until they finally settled on a couple. Using squeeze bottles, they expertly began to draw lines criss-crossing over the entire cake, giving it a nice 'systematic' affect. As soon as they were done, they carried the three layered cake into the walk-in fridge; a creation of her father's.

"Alright, we'll leave it for an hour then," her mother said, working the small dial Sky had installed for the fridge next to the door. She turned away, yanking the hairnet off, and letting her short bob of strawberry blond hair cascade down, Sky eyed it sullenly. Then she added, reminding Sky, who was known for dozing off on breaks, "We'll come back in an hour to put the small delicate pieces in place."

Sky nodded, plopping down to the ground tiredly. Sky pouted slightly, remembering the reason for the lack of chairs in the kitchen; a few months ago, she dozed off in the kitchen and burnt a few cookies, ever since then, her mother took away any sort of flat surface that she could use as a bed.

_RRING! _

Sky watched as her mother quickly stood up and made her way to the phone, halfway there Sky's eyes landed on the television screen. It was a news report on Edge, a tour of sorts by one of Shin-Ra TV's reporters, telling the viewers what the small town contained, how quickly it was built, and how 'helpful' Shin-Ra was to the process. The reporter was a ginger haired beauty, charming freckles on the bridge of her nose, a pretty white-toothed smile, perfectly drawn blue eyeliner to compliment her gorgeous eyes, and lips stained a dark shade of red, the right shade of red.

The ginger haired beauty was in stark contrast of the desolate background behind her; the greyness, the dirty streets, the rusty walls, the broken people. Sky sighed, it pained her to see it.

The reporter lady seemed to be talking excitedly about a specific bar behind her, apparently she wasn't allowed to walk in for an interview, as the bar owners were not too fond of publicity -or more correctly not too fond of Shin-Ra. Yet, she had heard enough about the sweetheart of a bar-woman working behind its counter to make the story.

Just as she was about to end it, a spiky blond-haired man walked out of its door, took a single glance in her and the camera's general direction and began walking away, a scowl contorting his handsome face. The reporter lady practically stumbled over her wires as she tried to catch his attention, perhaps for his aloof and intriguing appearance, but most probably because he had exited so casually from the bar she so desperately wanted to get in.

Sky smirked in amusement, chuckling lightly, as she watched the beauty run after this mysterious man, who -without a care in the world for who she was or what she looked like or how hard she was trying to talk to him- continued trekking away into the distance, just out of her reach. The camera zoomed in on his disappearing back, where an enormous broadsword hung.

the reporter lady glanced back at the camera, clearing her throat and dusting herself off, she continued her story. Sky caught sight of a pair of orphans scurrying about behind her, their arms covered in the black of Geostigma, and carrying pieces of a broken bicycle. Sky watched as they tried to put the pieces together. Her hand gently fingering the scar on her chin as she fell into deep thought, the sight broke her heart.

The bicycle they were carrying was seemingly broken beyond repair, after a few attempts, the pair dropped the pieces to the ground, a deflated look on their faces, as they stood up and walked away, dragging their feet, with one of them turning to deliver a frustrated kick to the broken bicycle and walking away. She bit her bottom lip, feeling the small scar with her forefinger as she thought, it would be so easy for her to fix it for them, a blow torch here, and a few tightened screws there.

Sky sighed, hand dropping away from her chin, she pulled out a pen, and doodled on her right arm as she thought. A habit she picked up after her mother banned Sky from carrying notebooks into the kitchen, not to mention she always lost them eventually.

After the demolition of Midgar, Shin-Ra's capitol, there was a huge amount of orphans residing in Edge, she noted. Perhaps the easiest way to bring them joy was to fix their toys, as she couldn't really adopt all of the orphans there, and could barely take care of herself to begin with. She sighed,_ maybe__ I __should get a dog?__… __i__'__ll get used to taking care of someone other than myself then. _ she shook her head, _Mommy isn't a dog person__…_

"Time's up, sweetheart!" her mother announced, once more snapping her out of her reverie. Sky's head shot up, watching her mother tack another slip of paper to the wall, she turned to stand in front of Sky, holding her hands out to pull her up. "Up you go!"

Sky grinned, pocketing her pen as she took her mother's hands, and pulled herself up.

Her mother paused for a moment, and eyed her arms sternly. Following her eyes she glanced back down at herself, noticing the drawings she had absentmindedly drawn; a bicycle, arrows and diagrams jotted next to it, and a strange looking broadsword; a Buster Sword. She stared at it for a moment, wondering where she had seen it before. Glancing back at the screen, where she had been looking a few moments prior; the stoic man's silhouette. Sky instantly recognised the familiar sword; Buster Swords were used by SOLDIER, Shin-Ra's elite army of Mako infused warriors.

"They say its bad for your health, sweetheart," her mother warned, staring down at the black ink.

"So is cake!" Sky retorted, sticking her tongue out, her mother gave her a light slap on her shoulder as she turned and walked.

"Let's do this!" she encouraged, thrusting up a fist in excitement, and making her way to the walk-in fridge.

* * *

The weekend had arrived, at last. Sky and her mother were seated outside of their little shop, Calla's Bunnery blazing over their heads, giving the shop a pink halo against the midnight sky. Music was playing from the jukebox inside the shop, a song called _What A Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong_, floated on the mid-summer night air. Outside, the pair were sipping tea, and eating leftover cakes that hadn't sold that day. Sky was munching away happily at a peanut butter cookie, and her mother was enjoying a thick slice of apple pie.

"Maybe you should start cutting down on the cake, sweetie, you've gained a few kilos," her mother stated, trying to sound as warm as she could, but delivering a harsh remark was always difficult and hard sounding.

"I knowww! Mia told me yesterday!" Sky whined, pouting slightly at her mother as she mentioned her dearest friend Mia, she placed a hand on her chubby belly, and continued, "but I sort of don't really care at this point, the cake is too good!"

"How are you going to get a boyfriend? If you keep eating like this he wont be able to fit you through the door!" Her mother exclaimed.

"Pfft! I refuse to lose wait for some guy, if he cant handle some chub he wont get any rub-a-dub-dub!" Sky said jokingly, sticking her tongue out as her mother gasped at Sky's racey comment. The two laughed lightly, and continued eating. Sky's cookie crunched as she took her bites, and as she neared its moist centre, she couldn't help but smile in excitement, she loved the chewy part in the middle, and always made sure to eat off the crunchy edges, and leave the best part for last.

"Looks like this week is going to be a light one," her mother began, taking a bite of the apple pie, the smell of cinnamon and apples on her breath. Sky nodded, watching her mother, who seemed like she had more to say, she could hear it in her voice, and see it on her face. She braced herself.

"You can take a break if you want, dear," she continued, taking another bite and preparing the next one. Sky contemplated her mother's words, she was sure this wasn't all it.

"Are you bored of me already?" she joked, playing along.

"You know that's not it,"

"I dunno where i'd go, to be honest,"

"Cain's been looking around for a place for you," said her mother softly, pausing her eating, and taking a deep steadying breath, Sky held hers, wondering what was on her mother's mind that could make her so anxious. Assuming that Cain was indeed looking for a place for her in Kalm, there wasn't much for her mother to be nervous about, unless she has to become neighbours with her old school friends. She waited.

"You should go to Edge." came her mother's singsong voice, the kind of tone she used to convince customers, and to lure children into buying her candy.

"No." came Sky's quick and curt answer, deliberately watching her mother out of the corner of her eye, as she took another cookie into her hands.

"You can help them, Sky, you can help the Planet." her mother coerced.

"I wouldn't know where to start,"

"You'll start somewhere, you'll find your way, dear, you'll find your place like you always do," her mother pushed on, Sky bit her lip, still not convinced, her mother continued, "You're good at these things, and you want to help, its perfect, your true calling!"

"No, mom!" Sky interjected, putting down the cookie as she sighed in exasperation, "Just… let go of the ideal you have for me."

"Its not an ideal, young lady," her mother said, her tone suddenly changing, from the tone of selling cookies and cake to the tone of a mother. Giving her a stern look, she continued, "Like I said a few days ago, I can read you like an open book. I know what you want to do before you even think about it!"

"Not this time, mom," Sky sighed, lying. She shook her head as she crossed her arms over her chest; she had already made up her mind. "I'm not going to Edge."

The older lady's mouth opened, preparing another attempt. Sky felt sad for her mother, who was working so hard to insure her daughter's happiness. Indeed she could see right through her. She cut her short, she didn't want her to waste her energy.

"I can build you an oven, I can't build you a city."

Her mother nodded, Sky watched her out of the corner of her eyes; disappointment evident on her face, her attempts had failed.

The pair continued eating in silence, both deep in thought.

Going to Edge meant leaving her mother alone, it also meant that she'd be at position where she might be asked to do more than she could handle, more than she could bear. Sky knew how to forge a pan or an oven, but Edge was an entire city, what could she offer to them that they didn't have already? It all seemed too far away for her, Edge seemed far away. her hopes of aiding its citizens, making amends, and leaving a mark on the world were slowly fading away into the reality of her situation.

She was a petty mechanic, who believed she aided in breaking the world, who killed a man in one of her experiments, and was now working in a bakery.

She sighed, eyeing her mother, who's face was practically sliding off in sadness and disappointment. Maybe now was not the best time to be thinking so selfishly, she thought.

The music changed, _Chocolates and Cigarettes_. She pushed herself up, her mother glanced up at her, worry and fear in her eyes, apprehensively even. Sky grinned down at her, as if consoling her mother,

"How about a dance, mom?"

Her mother smiled shyly, "you know how to make me smile,"

"Its our little thing, isn't it?"

"Mm!"

The pair began to dance, Sky loosening her mother's strings by dancing around her like a crazy person, her mother danced like a queen; calm, poised, and graceful. Her mother hummed lightly with the music, pulling Sky to a standstill, as she guided her daughter through a calm and smooth classical dance.

"Ah! My favourite!" Sky said excitedly, grinning. Her mother nodded lightly, smiling back.

"You always liked it when your dad and I danced it,"

"You looked like a King and Queen,"

"_Still too young to fail, too scared to sail away_

_But one of these days I'll grow old_

_And I'll grow brave and I'll go_

_One of these days__"_


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note:

To cloudxerrosstrife, thank you for commenting, I really and genuinely appreciate it! Happy Reading, everyone! R&R Please!

* * *

Chapter Two:

It was a sunny day with just the right amount of wind; a perfect weekend. The people were wearing their favourite summer dresses and shorts, planning picnics and bicycle rides, and making sure they made use of the beautiful weather.

A 'CLOSED' sign was dangling on the door of Cala's Bunnery. Music was playing from the jukebox inside as always, and as with every other weekend, Sky and her mother were busily cleaning up the bakery; removing old orders, slips and receipts, replacing the sticky notes with a brand new stack, and restocking their supplies. Sky had been out on a grocery run, while her mother was trying her best to sift through the orders, removing the old ones and keeping the new ones.

"Alright, then we've already finished these," Sky's mother muttered absentmindedly to herself as she took down another. Sky glanced over her shoulder at her mother, who was standing on a chair and struggling to reach up to the highest paper slip, and couldn't help but wonder how she managed to get it up there in the first place.

"Did you get the dozen pack egg carton, sweetheart?"

"I got the… 36 pack, is that good?" Sky replied, picking up the egg carton and making sure.

"Ah! Even better! But isn't it a bit expensive?"

"Well, we're going to pay either way, and i figured two 6.99GIL is more expensive than one 11.99GIL,"

"That's true," her mother nodded, stepping off the chair and moving it two steps to the left to reach another slip. She continued, "Did you see the nice cashier there? I've told him a lot about you, I'm sure he recognised you… Did you tell him I was your mother?"

"Mom, I'm sure he already knows by now," Sky stated, placing the egg carton on the counter, and sorting out the groceries, "Its been a year already,"

Their conversation was cut short by a creak and loud ringing, the ringing of their bakery door's bell, followed by loud footsteps, as someone hurriedly made their way in.

"I think I should oil the door hinges, huh?" Sky muttered under her breath to her mother.

"Sky?! Sky!" A familiar voice called urgently.

"Mia?" Sky answered, making her way to the front of their bakery. And there in the middle of the room stood a petite red-head in a blue summer dress; panic stricken and out of breath, "Hey, what's up? You okay?… Did you run all the way here?!"

"Sky!… I… Need your help!" Mia panted, hands on her knees as she barely held herself up, "my dad… His car… Flat tire!"

"No biggie," Sky grinned, rubbing her friend's back gently, "I got it covered! Does he have a jack? Or should i go get one?"

"Has one!" Mia nodded, "just… Bad back… He cant!"

"Alright, lets go!" Sky replied, helping her friend up. The two made there way out and into the street. A five minute run later, and they made it on scene. A rusted red pickup was parked awkwardly to the side of the street, and a man was standing outside angrily yelling at passersby.

"DAMNIT! WHERE'S THAT WORTHLESS KID GONE OFF TO?" he yelled, kicking at the flat tire of the pick up, "Damn useless she is…"

As they approached the man, Sky glanced over at her friend, who was biting at her bottom lip in remorse. She gritted her teeth, she didn't like Mia's father at all. He, much like her entire family, had an extreme disregard for her. She was the middle child of a family of tailors, the only girl, and the only one incapable of putting a string through a needle hole; 'nervousness makes my hands shake' she would say.

"Mr. Taylor!" Sky called, a few feet's distance from the man, he angrily spun to face the pair of them.

"Where'd you run off to?" he spat, glaring resentfully at Mia, who stared down at her feet woefully. Sky glanced over at her, appalled.

She shook her head, and set off to work silently, picking up the wrench from the tool box at the back, and loosened the bolts on the tire. She pulled out the jack, sticking it under the truck and proceeding to apply enough weight on it. A few minutes later and Sky had the flattened tire replaced and placed at the back, the wrench and jack along with it.

"There you go, Mr. Taylor," Sky announced, dusting herself off. Mr. Taylor had run out of steam, and was leaning over the side of the truck. He pushed himself up, rubbed his back, and gave a forced smile.

"Thank you, Skylar," he said, "if it weren't for my bad back I would have done it myself, but…"

"Its okay, sir! No problem at all," Sky nodded, quickly phasing into the politest of tones. She patted Mia on her shoulder, who was still chewing away at her lip, "anything for a friend!"

"Hah! I wish this friend of yours would learn something from you," Mr. Taylor laughed hollowly, placing a rough hand on Mia's shoulder, making her knees buckle, "we wouldn't have broke down if she did."

"Well, technically, if it weren't for Mia, I would not be here to help you," Sky started, her voice taking an edge of defensiveness, she also didn't like the way Mr. Taylor treated Mia, and his daughter's passive nature and her inability to defend herself wasn't helping the situation. it always made her feel protective. "For one, you wouldn't know me, and also, I wouldn't have come to help you anyway, if you weren't Mia's father."

Mr. Taylor gave a forced laugh, glancing down at the new tire, and then back to Mia. he added, turning back to Sky, "_your_ father would have certainly been proud of you,"

"Are you trying to subtly hint at how good Mia has it? That at least she _has_ a father to be cruel to her, Mr. Taylor?" Sky replied dryly, struggling to remain polite. Mia, who was now almost panicking at the situation, took hold of Sky's hand and squeezed it tightly, pleading her not to push it.

"Well, let's just say that if he was alive," Mr. Taylor started, "he would've taught you a thing or two about politeness."

"That's true," Sky agreed, turning to Mia with a smile, "in that case, I guess I have something to learn from her too."

Mr. Taylor gritted his teeth, at a loss for words, and moved to take his leave. Jumping into his rusty pick up, he leaned out of the window, "I'll see you at home, kid."

"Goodbye, Mr. Taylor!" Sky waved, as they watched him drive away.

"Why'd you do that?" Mia asked sombrely, her voice almost too faint to hear now, as if she couldn't bear the weight.

"Why would i not?"

"Because its meaningless."

"I know, nothing will change, but… Maybe it will," Sky replied, throwing an arm over her friend's shoulders as they walked back to the bakery, "either way, it sure doesn't mean you should take it like a sitting duck, maybe fighting back will make them take you more seriously."

"I don't know," Mia sighed, exasperated with her situation, "sometimes I think I should just… Run away."

"Running away won't solve the problem, and you know it,"

"You ran away when you-know-what happened, and now you spend your time making sure you never put yourself in that sort of situation again," Mia retorted, reminding Sky that she quit after the Mythril/Mako incident. And added, "you've been running away for a year now."

"So take it from an expert: it wont solve the problem." Sky muttered darkly, she had never thought of it that way.

"Neither will fighting back," Mia retorted.

"That's true," Sky chuckled, "but at least it'll give you something to do until we come up with a solution, yeah?"

Mia nodded, and they continued walking in silence. Sky thought,_ there was nothing I could do by staying, no benefit could come of it, I would__'__ve died in the bombing, and now__… __I__'__m honestly scared I might somehow hurt someone again__…_ she glanced over at her friend, who was busily trying to match her footsteps to Sky's. _but I__'__ll admit, I am running away, and that__'__s__… __not the type of person I want to be._

The pair entered the bakery, arms slung over each others shoulders, and laughing at Mia clumsily tripping on their way in. Sky's mother greeted them happily, announcing that she had decided to experiment with a new kind of cake, and that she would require their help. A few hours later, and the door was pushed open again.

"Well well well," came a happy hoarse voice from the open doorway, "my three favourite ladies, all in one place, this must be my lucky day!"

"Cain!" Sky grinned, handing Mia the meringue.

She turned to give the man a hug, and as he was a lot larger and taller than her, she had to up stand on her tip toes to reach him. He was a burly man with brown hair that was slowly fading, and a few years her mother's senior. He was her father's friend from before she could remember, and he was always there for them; helping them settle in after moving into Kalm from Junon, and finding them the more rare ingredients and items. He was dear friend of the family, and someone Sky admired deeply.

"It's been a while," he laughed, as he set Sky down on the ground again. Sniffing the air, he turned to the pair behind the counter; Mia and Sky's mother, "what's that smell?"

"It's my new experiment," Sky's mother announced proudly, "sponge cake coated with ice-cream coated with meringue!"

"My favourite!" Cain joked. He took a moment to take off his messy and almost decaying coat and hang it, then settle down into a nearby chair. He turned to the trio working the meringue, "so I expect I'm the taster?"

"Sky, can you go get it from the forge?" her mother ordered, and Sky quickly hurried off, returning with the blowtorch in hand. Cain's eyes widened in fear.

"E-excuse me? Are you sure its sponge cake, and not an iron sponge?" Cain joked, laughing to himself. He watched on as Sky torched the edges of the meringue.

"And we're done!" Sky's mother announced, clapping her hands together victoriously as the three of them gave each other celebratory hugs. She quickly cut pieces out of it and served them up. The four of them sat down, silently enjoying the clash of the warmth of the meringue and the cold of the ice-cream, the sweetness of the strawberry-flavoured sponge cake and the sourness of the lemon ice-cream. It was delicious, that was something the four agreed on.

Mia and Sky's mother soon took off to the back of the kitchen, to carry out another experiment Mia wanted to learn, leaving Cain and Sky alone. Sky was taking another bite out of the moist triple layered cake, and Cain was silently watching her.

"Dear, can you make us a 31"X11" pan?" came her mother's voice from the other room.

"Sure mom!" Sky yelled back, Cain watched on as she munched away at her cake without any plans to get up any time soon.

"Sweetheart!" her mother began, her voice taking on a higher tone now. The front door to the shop swung open, and a little kid came walking in.

"Hey kiddo," Sky started awkwardly, "Didn't you see the 'Closed' sign?"

The kid shook his head silently, and Sky had the distinct feeling that maybe he couldn't read. At the age of four years old, perhaps even too young to read, but Sky wouldn't know any better.

"Alright, let me get you someone to help you out," Sky nodded, glancing over at Cain for reassurance, who nodded and moved to pick up the blowtorch from behind the counter and disappeared behind the kitchen door. Sky glanced back at the little kid, and gave an awkward smile as the kid just eyed her like she had three heads, she shrugged and followed after Cain.

"Finally going to make the pan?" Her mother mocked, sticking her tongue out at Sky. Mia was flipping through a notebook looking for the perfect recipe, with Cain towering over her, blow torch in hand.

"Mom, there's a kid out there, a customer," Sky stated, pointing over her shoulder.

"But why did you let him in?"

"Its a kid, mom," Sky scratched the back of her head cheekily and added, "besides, you know how awkward I am with kids and all…"

Her mother sighed heavily, shaking her head, and walking off to cater to their customer, muttering something about '_growing up_' and '_what will you do when you have kids of your own?_'. Sky took the opportunity to exit the area, slinking off to her shelter; the Forge. Leaving Cain and and Mia muttering in the background about the pros and cons of a giant cake compared to multiple small cupcakes.

Pulling on her usual gear -respirator included, she hummed lightly to herself.

"That's some fancy equipment you got there, Sky," came Cain's voice, "makes you look like an astronaut," he said jokingly, taking confident strides towards her, and glancing into the forge.

"Astronaut? i was going for motorcyclist but I guess that works too," pulling open the visor of her head gear.

"What're you working on?"

"The pan mom wants," she replied, he stared dubiously at her, "to mom welding a pan is easier than wasting good cake just to shave off bits to make a specific shape,"

"How is that easier?" Cain asked incredulously.

"I can get iron rods from the steelyard at the edge of town, but getting butter and eggs is a bit more difficult," Sky said, Cain stared at her, not at all impressed by her answer. She sighed, "it doesn't make sense, right? I think this is her trying to make sure I don't forget how to smith and forge things."

"Ah, _that_ does make sense then." Cain agreed, turning away, and looking in the direction of the shop. Through the window they could see her mother and Mia preparing chocolate cake batter.

"Pfft, _of course_ it does," Sky snorted sarcastically, then added in a gentler tone, "but I understand."

Just as her mother said, she could see right through her, she could see exactly what Sky wanted to do, and what she was afraid of doing. Which is why she made sure Sky worked the forge, to make sure she missed working as a mechanic and to keep her love for the skill and trade alive.

"What're you going to do? Now that Shin-Ra Inc. is no more?" he asked, sitting down in a nearby chair. Sky glanced over her shoulder at the steel strip, she turned it over, it was glowing a light yellow.

"I don't know really, I've thought about going to Edge, help the people there and everything, but…" Sky said, hesitating for a moment.

"Then what's stopping you?"

"Mom sent you out here didn't she?" Sky asked, squinting suspiciously at him.

"You bet." came Cain's honest answer, giving a big smile. he shrugged, "she worries about you."

"And I worry about her, its a fun cycle of worry," she said, laughing lightly.

"She told me to tell you an inspiring story," he said, smiling.

"Oh? Does it have dragons and swords?" Sky joked, "then give me a moment to get this done and I'll be right there."

Cain nodded, walking inside the shop to get two slices of cake, and making his way back to the swing outside. Sky soon finished forging the base of the pan in iron and was leaving it to set in the mini-fridge next to the Forge. She plopped down to next to Cain and he handed her a plate.

"On my way here I gave this man a ride," he started, clearing his throat, "and its not even the first time. I've seen him very frequently, almost every day and I think he lives in Edge, and he's just so very quiet but you can almost hear him thinking in his head, and he's always on the move, out to get something, or returning with something," he leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms, as he stared up at the sky in thought, "and he's a remarkable fighter, its ridiculous how quickly he can take down monsters, and he just brandishes this huge sword like its nothing, and then gets back in the truck and resumes staring off into the distance,"

Sky took another bite as she watched Cain construct the next few sentences.

"I asked about him, and he's got a really dark and depressing past… and I cant help but respect him for pushing on, making a life for himself after all, but he's just… really strange," he paused, staring down at his plate in thought, "and as hard as he tries to be just another face in the crowd, you definitely cant miss him."

"Why? Does he have rainbow coloured hair? Or is it pink?" Sky humoured, and for a moment, she thought of dying her hair pink, then she would definitely be rid of the coal-black hair her father passed on to her. Cain chuckled lightly and continued,

"Spikey blond hair, and these… striking sky-blue eyes."

"Whoa there, Tiger. Is this you confessing your man crush on an unsuspecting young man, Cain?" Sky joked, finishing off her piece of cake with one last bite, "You know… it could work, you'll be his sugar daddy, and he wont have to move around so much to get things."

Cain snorted, his voice taking a more serious tone, as he made sure she understood what he meant by what he was saying, "no matter what happened in the past, Sky, the past is in the past. You need to make yourself a future or else all the things you did in the past were for nothing,"

"Ah," Sky sighed in realisation, setting her fork down with a loud _clang!_ "That's why you're here mid-month! Mom wants you to _actually_ convince me to go to Edge!"

"Well, you got me there," he admitted, smiling cheekily at her. Sky sighed, setting down her plate on the ground.

"if I go to Edge," she started, "what will I do there? More importantly, where will I live?"

"I made a deal with a man suffering from Geostigma," Cain explained, "a ticket to Healen Lodge, and in return his house and workshop."

"All that for a stay at the Lodge?"

"He knows he's going to die, but he wants to die comfortable, well-fed and rested… at least."

"Alright," Sky nodded, "so I'll live there, and work at the workshop?"

"With me," he nodded, "and maybe we'll get you a few employees to boss around."

"Then what about mom?"

"What about her?" Cain asked, smiling knowingly as he glanced in the general direction of the kitchen window. The two sat swinging in silence, nothing but the sound of crickets and the squeaking of the swing's metal. It reminded Sky that she had to oil the door's hinges.

"I can't leave her alone,"

"Careful, if she hears you saying that she'll-"

"Young lady!" screeched her mother, standing in the doorway, face red with anger, "I swear, if you keep using me as an excuse to be such a selfish child, then so help me, I will kick you out of the house!"

"But mom-"

"Well, Little Miss Logic, you know how to solve this problem too, don't you?" her mother snapped, turning away, and briskly walked back into the kitchen, slamming the door behind her. Sky sighed, slumping in her seat, feeling hopeless.

"Maybe I should have asked for a billion Gil…" Cain muttered thoughtfully, a hand on his chin as he chuckled lightly. Sky groaned, closing her eyes; indeed, another problem to solve. She felt the swing shake and rattle as Cain got up.

"Stop being so scared. You know you can do this." he said encouragingly, placing a gentle hand on her messy head, "I'm leaving tomorrow night."

* * *

The very next morning, Sky was suffering from a very dangerous case of A Mother's Cold Shoulder. Her mother was completely refusing to talk to her. She woke up to a pillow being thrown in her general direction and when she opened her eyes she caught a glimpse of her mother's back as she walked out. She had breakfast by herself for the first time in a year, and was completely ignored at the bakery; every time she tried to help her break the eggs, or lather cream on some cake, her mother would push past her and do it instead, refusing her help. Until eventually Sky was left alone in the bakery, staring after her mother, as she left to deliver things on her own.

Sky spent her time making her own cookies. At first, she didn't know what to make, but then decided to make whatever required the least amount of ingredients. While she baked them, she mulled over what to say to her mother.

_She can handle herself without you._

_Its not a matter of whether she can or cant, its a matter of…_

_What? A matter of what? _She debated angrily with herself, accidentally wringing the squeeze bottles too hard and covering her apron with blue icing. She knew her hesitation was not only linked to leaving her mother alone or not knowing where to live or what to do there, as those problems already had been solved.

A_ matter of being scared…. I guess mom isn't the only one who can see right through me, Cain can too._

_Of course he can, he's known you just as long as she has. _

'_The past is in the past'. He's got a point, a lot of points._

_Yeah, you think… maybe its time to move on?_

With a loud sigh, she resumed decorating the cookies, mulling over what to tell her mother. Perhaps an apology was in order. She knew her mother was only trying to make sure she was happy, and was frustrated with how she kept putting up hurdles and obstacles for it to work. Her own fear was putting its foot out and tripping her. Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the bell above the door.

Sky glanced up expecting her mother, but instead was met with the sight of her best friend, Mia. Her red hair was down in an intricate braid, and small yellow flowers were stuck in it, she wore a matching polka-dotted dress. T_he weather must be nice out then_, Sky noted absentmindedly.

"Hey, you, what's up?" Sky greeted, trying her best to sound cheery, as she gave a smile.

"If you're trying to smile, you should stop," Mia said, her low voice echoing in the empty room, pointing to Sky's failing smile that was turning into more of a frightening grimace.

"She's still mad, it feels like a blizzard in here."

"You deserve it."

"I know." Sky whined, setting down the icing squeeze bottle. Mia glanced down at Sky's cookies.

"They look like… Squares with two blue dots and sharp yellow triangles stuck to the top. Wait, is that angry face?" Mia asked quietly.

"Cain told me a story," Sky muttered, glancing down at the cookies, and for the first time noticing what she had made. Indeed, they looked like squares, triangles and dots; an 8-bit rendition of a blonde angry man. She picked one up and handed it to Mia, "I think its because when I think of how old Cain is, I think bad graphics and crappy tech and mechanics."

"Ah," Mia chuckled lightly, taking a bite out of the cookie making an audible crunch, and catching the crumbs with her other hand. she added deliberately, "they're good."

"You think so?" Sky laughed. Mia's face was oddly very straight, straighter than usual, and almost pale white.

"Mm," she nodded, swallowing the cookie down roughly, and added quietly, "but maybe use sugar instead of salt next time…"

"What?!" Sky gasped, smacking a hand to her forehead as she remembered, "probably when I was trying so hard not to use up the good ingredients I… mixed them up."

"Or maybe its because you're being spacey today," Mia consoled, taking another small bite to test it out again, shaking her head, and setting the cookie down.

After a few seconds, she glanced back at Sky, watching her as she stared down at the cookies in thought, "you're worried you might make the same mistake, aren't you? But you know, there's no more Mako to screw up your life. They've stopped using it, they're searching for a new source of energy, and… you could help with that."

"Yeah, but its not really about the Mako, its just that when I get excited… or when I get spacey," she added pointing to the cookie, "things slip under my nose and…"

Mia sighed heavily, almost exasperated.

"This really doesn't suit you," she said tiredly. Sky tilted her head to the side questioningly, and Mia added, "can I be honest with you?"

Sky nodded her head vigorously, giving a thumbs up, "Honesty is the best policy!"

"Your mother keeps telling me that you are naturally a very happy person, and every now and then I see a glimpse of that, but you are so broody these days and I couldn't make sense of it for a while, but then I noticed, the more ShinRa is on TV, and the more of Edge we see, and the more we hear of Rufus ShinRa… The more depressed you get," Mia stated, her face blank as her eyes bored into Sky's and her words cut through her, "it makes me sad to see you like that, and its even sadder to think you don't know this already: sometimes, horrible things happen. But you owe it to yourself to keep trying, its not right to coop up at home and refuse to help people, because you know it makes you happy to help. I mean, just yesterday when you helped out my dad… as much as you dislike him, it still made you smile to be able to fix up his truck."

"Selfish…" Sky repeated after a moment of thought, remembering her mother's words.

"You're not selfish, Sky," she noted, "you're the opposite, that's why you're facing this problem."

"Then, maybe its time for me to start being selfish, to chase after what I want," she said, crossing her arms over her chest, making up her mind.

"That's what you mother would want," Mia nodded, "and if it doesn't work out, you can just come back home and be a lace-wearing baker."

"then I'll leave you to help mom out at the Bakery," Sky grinned happily, "that way you wont have to force yourself to be good at something you don't enjoy! You like baking so work here, and mom wont be alone."

"Two birds with one stone," Mia nodded.

"Maybe it is time to move on," Sky muttered, remembering Cain's offer, a workshop in Edge was the perfect thing for her. another thing on the list of things to thank Cain for. she appreciated him, Cain was very straight to the point, and he had a way with words. he chose a fairly motivational story, Sky got the point of it now. It was time for her to make a future for herself too, and through it she could somehow make amends, and maybe stop defining herself by her mistakes.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you for commenting, Shannyrox101 and Zane, I really appreciate it! Enjoy the chapter everyone, please Review if you can!

* * *

Chapter Three:

The path to Edge from Kalm was a rocky one; filled wilt random bumps and trenches, and moments where one would meet a fork in the road and be at a loss at which one to take. Cain expertly manoeuvred, having memorised the roads from his travels to and fro Kalm and Edge. Nearest to Kalm, the land was grassy green, and the air smelt fresh with a small lingering hint of seaweed and salty waters from the Kalm River nearby. About a quarter of the way to Edge, the grass began its slow and eventual fade of green and rise of yellow, as the sandy desert began to take over the horizon. Almost like the scorching Summer taking over fresh Spring; a different season entirely. They had entered the Midgar Wastelands; the result of ShinRa sapping at the planet's energy and livelihood.

The hard sun was blasting away at the empty Wastelands, and a single dark green truck was speeding its way across the landscape, sending sand and dirt flying behind it. Monsters were few and far in between, every now and then a _Custom Sweeper_ or a _Devil Ride_ -as Cain called them- would flit past their windows, obviously searching for food or shade.

Inside the ambling dark green truck, Sky was singing along to _Space Oddity by David Bowie, _which was blasting away at top volume on the cassette player.

_This is Major Tom to Ground Control_

_I'm stepping through the door_

_And I'm floating in a most peculiar way_

_And the stars look very different today_

Her voice cracked a few times, making Cain chuckle lightly at her adamant attempts to carry a tune. On her lap sat a small black box, given to her by her teary eyed mother, who had spent fifteen minutes bawling into Sky's shoulder. Sky smirked as she remember telling her mother and Mia off jokingly; '_you__'__ve spent the last week trying to convince me to go, and now that I__ do you__'__re all teary and emotional? P__fft! __Serves you right!_'. Her mother handed her the black box, and made her promise to call her everyday, which made Sky assume it was a phone.

She remembered waving furiously through the back window until she couldn't see them anymore. She gave a big sigh, it wasn't the first time she saw her mother disappear from view through the back window of a car, and somehow it felt exactly the same as before. The excitement of a fresh start, of knew information, and of the possibility to learn, coupled with the fear of the unknown and its dangers. It was an almost nauseating sensation, like having a school trip and being unable to sleep the day before. Her mind was buzzing, glancing over at Cain, she started the shower of questions.

"So, what's the workshop's name?"

"It used to be Bolt, with a lightning shaped screw as background, but you can name it anything you want," Cain answered, taking a cigarette pack and lighter out of the glove box, and lighting a cigarette.

"Back to smoking I see," Sky stated, eying the cigarette held gingerly between his fingers with distaste.

"Only when I'm on the road," Cain shrugged, taking a swig, he glanced over at Sky, and saw her pouting gently as she thought. She looked like a little child, and it made him aware of her age in comparison with the load she had to carry. He ruffled her hair gently, giving her a small smile.

"You don't like the smell?"

"No, its more of… " she paused, glancing outside the window as she thought, "I want you to take care of yourself, you mean a lot to my mom and I."

"I see. Sometimes I wonder who's more direct, you or your dad…" Cain chuckled, he took another good swig, very aware of the white smoke blackening his lungs, and flung the cigarette out the open window, and placed both hands on the steering wheel. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the small black box clutched in her hands, "well, don't you want to know what it is?"

"I know what it is," Sky grinned, patting the box, "its a phone."

"Aren't you going to open it?"

Prying the black lid off, a silver flip phone lay in a cardboard cut out, battery, charger, wires, and headphones included. Sky gave a big grin, skimming through its guide, she pressed the on-button. She spent the next few minutes memorising its menus and shortcuts like the back of her hand.

"Alright, I can see you are pretty happy about it, and I'm sure you'll abide by your mother's promise to call her everyday, but just promise me you'll focus on the job every now and then?" Cain joked.

"Speaking of which," Sky started, tucking her phone into her blue back pack that rested at her feet, "where am I going to be staying?"

"Just like we said, the workshop that man left me. It has an apartment on the upper level," Cain answered, eying a passing Custom Sweeper apprehensively as it ambled on by with white smoke puffing away from its exhaust system. Going past it, he continued, "but we'll have to check out the situation first, I've only been up there once, and it needs some extensive cleaning."

Sky glanced out the window, her hand playing with the wind as it blew past them, it was getting darker outside, dark clouds were moving in from the east, she remembered what Cain had told her of the place's previous owner.

"Ge-o-stig-ma." she pronounced each syllable as she thought, "I cant even remember the diseases before it."

"I can," Cain stated darkly, Sky turned to stare at the older man in interest, waiting for an explanation. he smiled gently, turning the steering with the palm of his right hand for a sharp corner between a few rocks, and continued, sating her curiosity, "my mother died when I was young from Pneumonia. Although it itself doesn't qualify as a disease because it isn't infectious, but… her death made me wary and aware of most illnesses."

"And yet you smoke."

"Rarely."

"Smoking is smoking no matter how frequent,"

"Dying from it is as rare as dying from ink poisoning…" Cain mocked, laughing lightly as Sky moved to push down her sleeves to hide the doodles on her arms. She grinned up at him, with a small shrug as she said,

"We'll call it even then," she nodded. Cain gave a short laugh. She tilted her head in thought, and continued, "I don't think I've ever heard you talk about your family, I'll be abusing this moment now. so, what about your father?"

"Drank himself away after she passed… but I wouldn't call him my family," Cain answered grimly, switching on the headlights, as the sun began to sink, throwing shades of pink and red into the sky, "After she died, your grandparents took me in as a second son in a way, Liam let me into his family with open arms, and gave me a job and a place to stay… I'll always be thankful to him, for the rest of my life."

"Why haven't I heard of this before?"

"Its rare for the both of us to sit down long enough for the subject to come up," Cain chuckled, pointing out the fact that they were both always working on something or going from one place to another, rarely ever sitting down for a long and deep conversation about the past.

Sky nodded sliently, glancing back again out of the window, watching the sun set with its bright display of colours. The air smelt sandy, almost like a beach but without the sticky and salty moisture, and the wind was getting colder now. She stared up at the darkening sky, painting itself with hues of red, orange and pink, and smiled. Her eyes were always drawn upwards, towards the innate sensation of freedom the sky gave.

She wished she could fly.

She remembered banging away at a pair of iron wings after her father's passing, trying to fly away and leave all her worries beneath her on earth. she wished she could push all the problems and issues she had off her back, and see them slide off and shatter into pieces on the ground. She reached up towards it, grasping at empty air that whipped away from between her fingers. It was so far away, suddenly aware of her own weight, and the suffocating pull downwards; the feeling of being bolted down to the ground, a ground that began to rumble and shake beneath her feet.

Shaking her head, she looked forward. The moonlit path was empty and dark, the only sources of light were the truck's headlights, and the far away lights of Edge. Dark clouds took their places in the sky, shielding the twinkling stars from view.

"More monsters'll be coming out now, better close those windows, Sky,"

The pair quickly attempted to close the windows shut, but a small gap remained; Sky took mental note of this, as the air began whistling, and the cold seeped inside the truck anyway, the pair pulled on their jackets. The truck's air was almost stifling, warm and moist with their breaths, but still too cold for comfort. Sky took in a deep breath as her eyes steadied themselves on the lights of Edge on the horizon.

Her new home.

A place to start over, to make amends, and -more importantly, a place to find purpose.

* * *

It was well into the night when Cain finally pulled into Edge. Its empty streets barren and cold. Every now and then, they passed large metal pillars, constructed to maintain the buildings and give them stability. Each street they passed carried a single light in its middle; electricity was a scarce and treasured resource. The colours of the buildings and streets seemed to have been washed away with heavy rain, and all that remained were hues of grey. Sky moved to open the window a small crack, taking in a deep breath, the air smelt of rust and metal.

Edge was true to its reputation, no ShinRa newscast could hide the reality of its situation.

A few twists and turns, and they came into the central plaza of Edge. It was vacant, except for the people who shuffled by quickly as they ran away from the cold into their houses, or the orphans and homeless who hid beneath thin ripped blankets in alleyways.

Cain pulled to a stop,

"that's the Meteor Monument,"

Sky turned to stare at the imposing structure, rooted in the middle of the empty plaza. She took another deep breath of rust and metal, and exhaled white vapour into the heavy air. The monument was shaped after its name; The Meteor.

Sky could clearly remember everyone afraid of the looming threat of it hanging in the sky above them weeks before its impact, its unnatural redness in stark contrast of the sky's calming blues. She remembered The Chosen Day; she was out on delivery for her mother, wondering when would be the right time to tell her that she quit and didn't get fired, then the sudden blinding light in the sky cast itself over everything. She remembered looking up and seeing it crashing down in the distance upon Midgar, as the Lifestream burst out of the ground to protect the Planet. And suddenly, whether she quit or she was fired didn't seem to matter anymore.

It was never explained. Merely brushed aside as a ShinRa experiment gone wrong, and the Planet rushing to protect itself. It was the proverbial shove the people needed to realise the evil that is ShinRa, and ever since then, Mako was no longer in use, ShinRa no longer trusted, but hated.

Sky's eyes finally caught sight of it, its golden surface reflecting the lights; the ShinRa Emblem. Something that the newscasts seemed to brush past, or she had failed to catch.

"So, ShinRa owns Edge after all."

"It was a donation from Rufus ShinRa himself."

"Did no one see through what they wanted from this? Isn't it obvious enough?"

"Some people protested, but the Turks quickly silenced them and the construction was carried out."

"ShinRa never ceases to amaze."

Cain drove off.

A few lefts later, and he parked in front of a two storey building, as grey and bleak as any other. Sky quickly exited the truck, too anxious to wait any longer. The front of the shop was sealed shut, its front steel grate rolled down preventing access. Above it hung a rectangular sign, its lights were broken, and just as Cain had mentioned earlier, it looked like a giant lightning-shaped screw, with the word BOLT written over it in large square unfriendly letters. Sky looked up, upstairs were two windows, boarded up with wooden planks from the inside.

"Gives you a sense of how hopeless and fatalistic geostigma makes you, huh?" Cain's deep voice echoed from the other side of the truck, the sound of clinking keys adding to the suspense. He strode slowly around the truck, boots heavy against the ground as he sifted between the keys in search for the one to open the grate.

He kneeled down beside the giant metal lock, and tried a few keys. Sky took a moment to stretch, glancing around the street; coming to terms with her new neighbourhood.

The street she was in held few houses and shops to the left, it was evidently one of the newer roads that the city had expanded into. the Street lamps were just as scarce here as they were in other streets. Between every three buildings was a large empty lot, still uninhabited, still unconstructed. From the look of the buildings they seemed to be the same build as hers, a small business with a residence on its upper levels. A few houses closer to the central plaza was what was presumably a barber shop and another a small bar.

She took a few steps across the large street, towards the building across from hers, a little ways to the right. It was larger, and through the glass windows she spotted a few dusty vinyl records, CDs, and cassettes, like it hadn't been entered in a long time. To the side of the building, a navy truck -an older model from Cain's- was parked. Rusted, and broken down; time had taken its toll.

"There we go," she heard Cain grunt, pulling her attention back to the matter at hand. She quickly strode back over to him, and helped him pull up the grate with a grunt of her own. Cain panted heavily as he stretched his arms, muttering under his breath that his bones were aching from sitting too long.

Sealed behind the grate was a workshop to the right, and on the left stood a door to a small shop. Sky glanced inside the shop through the glass windows. In the moonlight and the faint street light she could see that the shelves were empty, and coated with a thick layer of dust, a few packs of shotgun bullets were strewn about. On the counter stood a cash register, and a few papers were stacked beside it.

Sky turned towards the workshop and quickly ran in, Cain followed after her, flicking on the light. It smelt like oil and rust, and the light hummed unstably above her. Inside, it contained almost the same equipment as the forge, but more automotive-centric. A pit and ramp in the middle, a pulley system dangling from the ceiling, acetylene canisters strewn around a torch, hammers, screwdrivers and wrenches, and several steel and metal stock.

"We've got a lot of work to do," Sky stated thoughtfully, arms crossed over her chest. She nodded to herself in thought as she paced around the dangling pulley system, Cain surveyed her apprehensively, almost afraid she might say she wasn't up for it and demand to go back home, he held his breath. She stopped pacing, reaching up to touch the source of the dangling effect. With an expert pull and shove, it was back in place, she tied it down to a nearby large metallic peg in the ground, keeping it in place. She grinned proudly, and rubbed her hands together excitedly, "when can we start?"

Cain gave a short laugh, relieved. As they walked further in, the more worn and torn the place seemed, as if it was left for dead, which only emphasised the state the geostigma-inflicted-man was in. A sneaking realisation at the back of Cain's mind began to surface; it seemed that the more broken the place seemed the more Sky grew excited about it.

"Let's go see what upstairs looks like!" she grinned, bounding up the stairs on the opposite wall facing the shop's front. She was so quick Cain couldn't even stop her and warn her. She disappeared from view, with only her black boots in sight. He heard her take hold of the handle and push, he quickly strode over to the stairs in time for the door to slam open. The nauseating stench of sickness and illness hit her in one full blow, filling her mouth and lungs, wiping the grin off her face as she keeled over, gagging, her hand covering her mouth.

Cain hurried up the stairs, shielding his mouth with his jacket collar and moved into the apartment, flicking the light on in search of the windows. Sky took a moment to pull herself together, gingerly she stepped over the threshold and into the apartment. Across from her was the open door of the bathroom. She stared into it, and almost instantaneously regretted it; she felt her lunch from earlier that day coming back up to greet her.

The walls, the toilet, the sink, everything was covered with black ooze, and caked with blood; signatures of geostigma. Sky coiled back out into the stairway, shaking and nauseated. She had only seen a few rare glimpses of this on television, and even rarer was to see someone actually suffering from it in front of her. She swallowed hard and turned away, she couldn't bare it.

"Sky! Find a crowbar!" came Cain's deep base voice, reverberating from within the apartment. Sky quickly searched for a crowbar, tied her green scarf around her mouth and nose, and went in after Cain, two crowbars in hand. They took turns breaking away the wooden planks boarding up the windows, no time to spare a glance to assess the situation of the apartment.

Once they were done, the pair of them were panting heavily, regretting each breath they took as it filled their throats with the horrible diseased stench. They quickly stumbled out of the room, barely holding down their food. Cain staggered sideways into a chair, lifting his head up high and taking heavy breaths to steady himself. Sky took shaky steps outside but soon keeled over a dustbin, wiping her mouth, she could see the bits of egg and toast her mother had made her earlier that day. Shaking her head in disgust, and feeling another bout surfacing from the sight, she quickly put the lid back on, and walked away, steadying her breath once more.

Glancing at the time of her phone, it was a few hours past midnight.

"Can we sleep in the workshop?" Sky asked, shakily walking back in. Glancing at the surroundings, she surmised that it was probably no better sleeping down here, she sighed heavily, studying Cain as she said, "feeling up for an allnighter?"

"Do we even have detergents and soap?"

"Lets hope he has some in the kitchen," Sky joked, trying to lighten the mood. Cain gave a snort, and shook his head with a sigh.

"I never imagined it could be this bad,"

"Its terrifying," Sky stated darkly, glancing down at the ground, "is it always like this?"

"Not usually," Cain shook his head, "most people don't stick around in the same place long enough for this to happen, or they just don't…"

"They don't stick around long enough in general?" Sky added, sneering slightly. It was almost sickening that they could talk so lightly about this, while others suffered pain, hallucinations and eventually died from it. She swallowed hard, the thought of decaying and rotting from the inside out terrified her. The End scared her even more. The prospect of no longer existing, of merging with the Lifestream like any other being, individual-less and lacking an identity of her own was something she was afraid of. she would be forgotten, and others would talk about her death the same why she and Cain were talking about Geostigma.

They quickly lost their jackets, and made makeshift mouth and nose guards from their clothes and whatever materials they could find. They managed to locate two large buckets, that they filled to the brim with cold water from a tap next to the forge. They dragged themselves up the stairs, and apprehensively stood at the threshold once more.

"How about we divide it up into sections?" Cain suggested, words muffled behind his shirt. Sky stared at him blankly, urging him to go on, "first we go in and shut the doors to the bedroom and bathroom, and scout the living room and kitchen, seeing as its one area. And once we're done cleaning it we'll… figure out the rest later."

Sky nodded, and moved to take a step into the apartment, she paused a moment, taking a deep breath and preparing herself. Cain waited, she glanced back at him hesitantly, and he gave her a thumbs up, and what she assumed from the squint of his eyes was an encouraging smile. She sped in, and closed the bathroom, followed closely behind by Cain.

The area was lit up by exposed bulbs hanging from the ceiling, some were broken and shards of glass lay beneath. Steel tubes crisscrossed across above their heads, like giant monstrous steel snakes. The walls and floor were covered with random spurts and pools of blood and ooze, as if at some point the man grew too lazy to hurry off to the bathroom, or the seizures and strokes grew too strong and frequent. The armchair that had once been a lovely shade of lilac, was now dark shades of reddish brown and thick black. Sky made sure to steer clear of it, its smell was toxic and potent.

Across from the blackened armchair was a cracked television screen bolted to the wall facing it, almost like something had been thrown at it, perhaps it was the mug that lay in shards at the ground under it. Between the armchair and the broken screen, was a three legged table keeling over to its side. The place seemed eerie, besides being infested with geostigma, it was void of anything personal; no knickknacks on the table, no souvenirs, and no framed pictures hung on the walls.

The kitchen took up a corner on the other side of the room, containing multiple wooden cupboards, a few hung off their hinges, with their contents spilling out all over the place. It had a relatively charred stove, a sink with piles and piles of empty and half-eaten dishes and plates, a jammed dishwasher, and a fridge. The sink faced the window that viewed the side of a building a few empty lots to its left.

Cain walked over to the bedroom, Sky tried to steady her breath to the shortest possible intakes as she watched him, he pushed open the door. His face contorted in utter disgust, immediately he grabbed the doorknob, and slammed the door shut so hard its hinges shook. He quickly turned on his heel, shaking his head, and lead the way back down the stairway and into the workshop.

"The bedroom is lethal." he said, pulling his face free of its protection, and making his way into the open air outside.

"I can see that, you practically ripped the door off its hinges," Sky mocked, chuckling as she plopped down on the ground next to Cain's feet. She stared up at the cloudy sky, and wondered if it was going to rain.

"The armchair is a goner, its easier to get rid of it. The carpet we need to remove, completely remove, I don't want it, I don't need it, and I don't think I can bare it." she murmured, eyebrows furrowed, and beginning to weigh her options, that maybe, just maybe, they wouldn't be able to finish the whole thing that day. She shook her head, and turned to Cain, she said, "The kitchen is relatively clean of blood and black ooze, except for the dishes and plates, those we can throw away too."

Cain nodded, "We drag out the armchair first."

"Ready?"

"As ready as i'll ever be!" Cain shrugged.

Back upstairs, Sky and Cain quickly began to push and shove at the armchair trying to get it to budge. Carefully covering their hands with their clothes to shield them from touching the ooze. Several minutes later, well into losing their breathes and feeling nauseated once more, Sky stopped pushing. She took a step back, and ran back down the stairs. Cain took to pushing on his own, wondering what had overcome her. She soon came back in, a face guard in place, and a large hammer in hand.

Cain could almost see the excited grin on her face. He took a step back, and watched her hack and whack away at the chair, shattering it into smithereens. Halfway through, he walked into the kitchen, finding large trash bags and shoving the blackened plates and dishes into it.

Hours passed, it was way past midnight, and the sun was an hour away. Sky and Cain, had rid the living room of its carpet, armchair and coffee table, and the kitchen of its plates, dishes, spoons, forks, and knives. It was a bare and almost unfurnished house. They had stacked all these items into the back of the truck, and drove off into the desert, setting it all on fire.

As they stood next to the blazing fire, they could barely feel the cold of the air around them, or the heat of the fire in front of them. They felt so detached from reality. Everything seemed slightly distorted now.

"I'll pass by Healen Lodge's warehouse at the edge of town in the morning and get us some detergents and beds for the week," Cain muttered absentmindedly, eyes glazed over.

Sky nodded silently, staring into the fire yet not actually seeing it.

"He… isn't going to make it, right?"

The question felt almost rhetorical. Cain was silent.

They trudged back into the truck in silence, footsteps heavy, and raising dust and rubble in their wake, and drove back into Edge. Cain dropped Sky off at the workshop. While she dragged the buckets of cold water up the stairs, and threw them against the walls, generously spraying them with the detergent she found under the kitchen sink. Soon enough the entire place began smelling like rusty iron and lemon detergent, it made Sky feel nauseous.

Cain arrived a while later, placing the beds in the lower level, and taking the heavy duty detergent upstairs. Spraying everything in their path, from walls to floors, to cupboards to shelves. They closed the door, and settled in downstairs for the night.

* * *

The next day was much the same, except Cain had managed to coax some of his friends in Edge to come and lend a hand. Sky met Mr. Bathelo and his two older sons; Theo and Adam. The pair were strong burly men, both in their twenties with black hair cut short. Their faces were angular, almost squared, with strong cheekbones and jutting jaws. The Bathelo family owned a Butchery with a good reputation, and had a knack to swallow away half of their letters, Sky struggled to understand them at first but soon grew accustomed.

"y'know, y' should come 'n' try our Chocobo s'meday," Theo suggested, as he helped her push broken chunks of the bed into the back of Cain's truck. Turning to Sky, and dusting himself off, he continued with a slightly askew grin, "Cain didn't like i' though, said i' tasted like chicken gone wrong. so if yer anythin' like'im, stick t' the regular meats, yeah?"

"Chocobo?" Sky asked incredulously, almost appalled, "aren't they used for travelling and sports? Isn't there a law against it?"

She heard a snort from behind her, and Adam came into view, looking like an identical copy of Theo, except instead of green eyes, he had brown.

"Ain't no government t' in force laws at th' moment," Adam stated casually, giving Sky a wink, he set down the last bags of the bedroom contents, "no more ShinRa troops an' all."

"'cept, some people been talkin' about a volunteer army…" Theo warned, turning to Sky with a mock suspicious look, "an' if we aint careful they might c'me after us, so Chocobo meat's between us, a'right, Miss Genttean?"

"Don't threaten the lady, Theo," Adam gave a light smack to his younger brother's shoulder in warning. Turning to Sky with an almost apologetic expression, "forgive ma brother, he's just an ove'-grown kid."

"Careful, if Seth hears ya, he'll have a field day wi' that. Older brothers gotta stick togethe', remem'er?"

Sky gave a small smile, the pair of them seemed to be joined at the hip, and from their appearance she was sure there was only a year or two between them, that is if they weren't twins.

"Seth's our younger brother," Adam replied, throwing an arm over his brother's shoulders, as the three of them headed inside. He continued, "he's a bit 'f an angsty kid, he's got the whole 'I am so misunderstood' thing goin' on, and if we weren't in Edge he'd proba'ly try to be an artist 'r somethin'… but he's a good kid, sometimes."

Sky chuckled, picking up her hammer from behind the door, "I'm an only child, so I wouldn't really know… but my friend used to tell me that her older brothers tried to bear the family's whole burden on their own, and her younger sister and brother always fought with each other, and as a middle sister she felt she was lost between all the commotion."

"I can feel 'er pain," Theo pouted dramatically, throwing himself against the wall and putting on a show of the Misunderstood Hero, "Adam's tryin' t' kick me out and Seth's tryin' t' steal ma thunder!"

"Oh poor brother, sounds like you've got it real hard," Adam comforted him in amusement, patting him on the back and making his knees buckle under him.

"Why don't you just… move out then?" Sky joked, sticking her tongue out at them playfully. the brothers glanced back at her in shock and burst into laughter, giving her pats on the shoulder for her 'great sense 'f humour'.

The three proceeded to climb up the stairs, quickly pulling the hem of the cloth around their necks back into place, shielding their noses. Once inside, Sky took a single glimpse into the bathroom, its walls now squeaky clean, and it smelled like lemon detergent, of that they had made sure of. She turned right to walk into the living room, which was now completely vacant, stripped to its bare minimum. No furniture and no carpet. The walls had botched up paint, due to the detergent they used being extremely potent. Up ahead, the kitchen's cupboards and shelves had been emptied, and a few of their doors hung off their hinges.

The entire area seemed to have had a colour-sapping tornado blast through.

The voices of Cain and Mr. Bathelo echoed from within the room on the right of her, the bedroom. Adam and Theo hurried on ahead, and she followed in behind. The room was the largest bedroom Sky had ever seen, the same length and width as the shop directly below it. She thought that she definitely could have used that room as her apartment all on its own.

Cain and Mr Bathelo were busily trying to remove the stained dark green carpet, each one standing at a corner, and tugging away at it until it gave way. Theo and Adam took up the other two corners, and Sky was managing the edges as they lifted it up. A few tugs and pulls later, the carpet was soon pushed into a big roll, and carried down the stairs by the Bathelo Brothers.

Shuffling her feet, Sky glanced down at the floor. White almost greyish linoleum, with spots of orange from the glue used to stick the carpet in place. She scanned the entire room, and she began to feel worried about finding enough things to fill it with. It was such a large place, an entire apartment. Growing up, she had her single bedroom in her parents' house, and after her father's passing she shared a bedroom with her heartbroken mother, and in Midgar she had a roommate in the 3X3 dorms.

She looked over at Cain, who had now moved into the living room and was busily discussing a paint job and flooring overhaul with Mr. Bathelo. She knew Cain wouldn't be able to stick around enough to share the place with her. Behind his brave front, she knew he was just as worried about her mother as she was. He would be too anxious to leave her all alone in that house, and would make sure to check up on her every now and then.

An arrangement had to be met.

Her mother was left alone in a large house, with the bakery business to run on her own. As much as Sky trust and loved Mia, she knew she would not be able to get her family off her back in time to be reliable. Sky, on the other hand, had a big apartment to fill, and was now in charge of a workshop, that she felt she was not ready to man on her own. Cain definitely felt he had to split himself in half now.

_Maybe in a few days…_

Sky sighed heavily. Moving towards the window, she pushed and pulled until she managed to open it all the way. Tucking away her scarf, she took in a deep breath as she stared out the window. She wondered what her mother was doing now.

She glanced downstairs, and saw that Adam and Theo had already placed the carpet in the truck's trunk. She heard them announce their leave to their father and Cain downstairs, and in a few moments, saw them exit out into the street. The brothers glanced back, and waved goodbye to her.

"Thank you for all the help guys!" she grinned and waved back.

She watched them walk away, and soon enough disappear between the crowds of the busy side of the street, closest to the centre. She watched the people absentmindedly, and couldn't help notice how they dragged their feet, their shoulders slumped, and their heads hanging down as watched where their feet were taking them. It was a wonder they didn't slam into each other on the way. There were no orphans in this part of town, and for that Sky was grateful in a way, she knew she couldn't bear to see it, and would probably wither away and lose herself trying to give them a home and a place to be.

She stared across the street, at the building a little ways to the right. The music shop was still empty and coated with layers of dust, and the navy truck was still untouched, most of its tires flat and half of its front was dangling off to one side. She wondered who her mysterious neighbours were. She fingered the scar on her chin absentmindedly, and chewed at her bottom lip for a moment, suddenly feeling agitated. Then the hair on the back of her neck rose, and she became aware of a figure standing in the top right window of the building across from hers. Her heart skipped a beat and she froze, she hadn't noticed him there before. She swallowed hard, wondering if she should make eye contact or just walk away like she hadn't seen him.

But she was curious.

Biting her lip she glanced up at the man standing in the top right window. A man of Cain's age, almost fifty or forty years old, with whitening hair and a sombre expression on his face, sat on a rocking chair near the window. His gaze didn't flicker when she looked at him, his eyes bore right through her; emotionless and vacant. He quietly sat their, rocking back and forth. A lady came into view, carrying a small tray with two cups of tea on it. His facial expression changed, and he looked almost sad.

"Sky! Sky-" came Cain's excited voice from the living room, making her turn away from her intense stare down with the man across the street. She strode into the living room, where Cain, Mr. Bathelo and another man stood.

Cain turned to her, gesturing to the stranger with a smile, "This is Colen Blick, he's Edge's finest Engineer."

"I'm Skylar Genttean, how can I help you Mr. Blick?" Sky smiled politely to the man, and shook his hand. His grip was strong, his shoulders wide, and he stood tall, like an upright screwdriver. His face seemed like it might crack and fall apart if he smiled. Sky blinked up at the man curiously.

Soon enough the man was briskly pacing from one room to the next, taking notes on his small notepad. Every now and then, he would pause, shake his head, and violently scratch off something from the notepad.

Sky turned to Cain with a raised eyebrow, "with what money?"

"Its still the start of the month, Sky, by the end we'll have more than enough,"

"You sound too optimistic,"

"You sound too pessimistic, when did that start?"

"Since never. Just realistic." sticking her tongue out playfully.

The man strode back towards them, his steps big and long. He came to a halt, and handed Cain a small slip of paper. Shaking his head, he gave a short bow to the three of them and walked out. Cain took a moment to assess the paper in silence, his face looking deflated.

"Well?" asked Mr. Bathelo impatiently.

"Think you can start working tomorrow, Sky?" Cain joked.


	4. Chapter 4

The sun shone bright in the middle of the sky above Edge, the heat and warmth barely reaching the industrial city. Sky rose feeling like she woke up on the wrong side of bed, or even, on the wrong side of the planet. She was bewildered of the crusty beige ceiling, the smell of heavy detergent, and her sore and aching body; this was not home.

Picking herself up and making a makeshift breakfast out of the few ingredients they could afford, she sat back down on her bed, and stared at the wall across from her. Groggily her mind drew a blank.

Cain was nowhere to be seen, which was not unlike himself. She glanced around absentmindedly, the room was empty save for the two beds. Sky looked over at his bed, where a piece of paper lay. Scribbled in black ink, the words read,

'_These beds are terrible._

_Going to see if I can get anything better._

_Will call soon. _

_P.S: Cala is starting to panic.'_

Tilting her head to the side, Sky wondered where he managed to get the pen and paper.

She went back to staring at the wall blankly, and munched away at her breakfast, her mind began to pull itself together, grasping her situation more clearly.

Her mother.

Rummaging through her bag lazily, she found her phone and dialled her mother's number.

"Good Morning! Cala's Bunnery at your Service! Got a sweet tooth? Today's special is…" a moment of relapse as her mother shuffled around, "Blueberry- no, no. it's Cinnamon buns! Today's special is Cinnamon buns!"

"Aww, mommy! You made my favourite?" Sky pouted, "Thats so unfair!"

"Oh! Sweetheart, its you!" her mother exclaimed happily, "I've been calling Cain all day asking about you, how have you been?"

"I'm sorry I didn't call earlier," Sky apologised, "we spent the past few days working on this place, its cleaner now, but it still needs a lot of work."

"Did you sleep alright? Cain told me that the beds weren't comfortable. Oh Sweetheart, do you need any money?"

"No, no money. The purpose of me coming here is to _get_ money, not to spend money. And besides, I was too tired to care, I could have slept on the floor," Sky joked, moving to clean up her dish, for a moment expecting brown muck instead of the clear liquid, fortunately she was disappointed.

"You don't have to be so hard on yourself, Sweetheart. Promise you'll tell me if you need anything?"

"Sure, sure," Sky nodded, pacing around the apartment as she ran a hand through her messy hair in an attempt to comb through it, "how's work going?"

"Oh, its alright," she heard her sigh sadly, "yesterday a couple of kids came in asking for your cookies, and were heartbroken when I told them you weren't here anymore."

"The kids miss me?" Sky questioned in shock, remembering her terrible awkwardness at dealing with them, either stuttering through a hello, or treating them as if their already twenty. Children unnerved her, old enough to have an opinion, but too young to be debated. They made her uncomfortable, and in return it made them uncomfortable. She was sure that in some part of their little bewildering mind, there was a place where common sense raised its eyebrows at her, "I really need to get better at interacting with children."

"You really do," he mother agreed, "What will happen when you have kids of your own?"

"They'll be _my_ kids, one look at me and they'll see I'm just as confused as they are."

"Oh dear! Mini-yous," her mother chuckled, "adorable little handfuls!"

"Handfuls? Was I that bad?"

"you were adorable, curious, and… slightly out of it most of the time," she chuckled again, "you'd either be eating a cake you weren't allowed to eat, or following after your father into the forge, and then be carried back out a second later, or you'd be staring up at the sky with a frown on your face,

"I asked you about it once, you said it was strange that you had the same name but you were so far apart, and then you kept trying to jump up and grab it," her mother reminisced, "you were so young back then," her mother's voice took on a more sombre tone as she continued, "and so innocent…. It was before the weight of the world was on your shoulders."

"You make it sound so dramatic! I still think you should have taken the storyteller job at that radio station," Sky laughed, "and don't worry about me, mom, I just grew up a bit, I'm still as out-of-it as I was back then."

Her mother paused for a moment, and it felt like the words on her mind hung in the air, shuffling about to find the right order, the right articulation. Sky waited silently, patiently, she was used to this, she knew what it felt like, she had the same habit of holding her breath until the words made sense in her mind.

"I miss you sweetheart, but I am so happy for you to finally be in Edge," her mother blurted. Sky's heart struggled with a pang of guilt as her mother continued, "after everything that had happened to our family, your father, Shin-Ra, AVALANCHE and the Planet… We finally got everything balanced out, and the days started being quiet and simple… But I knew it wasn't enough for you, you needed more."

"It is not about needing more, its…" Sky trailed, trying to find a way out of a sad conversation.

"I thought that at first, but then I saw your eyes glued to the TV screen when the newscasts on Edge came on and… I just knew it," her mother continued, "you knew it and I knew it, you could be of better use somewhere else."

"But I wanna stay with you, mom," Sky pouted.

"I know, Sweetheart, and I would love to keep you with me, but its an abuse of your abilities to keep you making cake moulds," her mother chuckled.

"I'm not here just because I want to be though," Sky clarified as an after thought, "I'm here because its the logical choice, my abilities are useful here, and I can make more money here off of it, than back in Kalm-"

"Making cake moulds?" her mother joked.

A moment of comfortable silence passed, Sky glanced around her, she wanted to see her mother, she missed giving her hugs and showering her with kisses. After she came back from ShinRa, Sky had spent most of her days making up for lost time with her mother, she never left her side, making sure to listen to her every word, and watch her every action. Her mother would always be a queen in her eyes.

"How's Mia?"

"She's doing her best, I'm teaching her the timetable."

"Oh my, The Timetable!" Sky chuckled, remembering how much time it took for her to understand it.

Moments later, Sky heard the all too familiar doorbell on the other side of the phone call, a customer was coming in, and the conversation ended. Sighing, she resumed staring blankly outside the window ahead.

The truth will out, she thought.

Resting her head on her arm as she stared out the window, she eyed her next door neighbours curiously. The weather was slightly chilly, and the wind was the kind that brushed one's shoulders with cold. A shiver ran down her spin, It was a good thing that she didn't mind the cold all that much, Edge was far colder than Kalm.

She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment, wondering why she even bothers to hide things from her mother.

She replayed the conversation in her mind. It was the first time she had ever heard her mother stutter through her introduction. As helpful as Mia seemed, and as well as things were going, they weren't going all that well.

Her stomach growled. She stood up straight, and stretched her aching back. New beds were indeed in order, which meant she needed to find a job to replace the money they were going to spend on them. Perhaps if she worked hard enough, she could go back home soon.

She caught sight of the man across the street, sitting in the same exact window, and staring right a her, except this time there was music playing in the background, and he was dressed in a bowtie.

Shifting her weight on feet, to see if the man was indeed watching her, or if his eyes were stuck looking that way, his eyes followed suit. Sky tried to wave and smile at the man, but to no avail. Sky remembered the music shop downstairs that was caked in cobwebs, and the old truck parked to the side that was rusty and falling apart. And as if to answer her curious plea, the woman from the day before came into view, to stand next to him, his eyes shifted over to her.

The old lady smiled at him, and spoke something, she took his hand and led him into the room. Sky watched intently as the pair of them began to dance slowly to the rhythm of the song, gliding their way from window to window.

"Sky! Sky! Down here!"

Glancing downstairs, Cain was standing beside his truck and waving furiously.

"Lets go out for lunch!"

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Sky and Cain sat down in a booth in Johnny's Heaven. It was a humble establishment in a patch of open ground where, with a stall, some tables and a few chairs, he could do some simple cooking.

"So this is the place you were talking about last night?" Sky asked, remembering last night. They had bought a couple of ice cold beers and sat at the roof, discussing their plans for the next few weeks regarding food, money, and jobs.

Cain had mentioned Johnny's Heaven, a well known cafe on the main street, Cain had said that '_if you want to be a true Edge Citizen, you__'__ve got to know this man__'__s story_', and as much as Sky begged and pleaded to know the story, Cain had replied that it was not his story to tell.

Cain nodded, he quickly scanned the menu, and decided to order something new.

"Maybe the Triple-Meat Jam-Packed Burger?" Sky suggested.

"That's a mouthful,"

"Pun intended?"

"As always," Cain smiled, "I haven't eaten since morning, I'll have that then."

"Murky Turkey Special?" Sky squinted at the name, "although that doesn't sound too encouraging…"

Johnny walked quickly towards the pair of them from behind the bar, a grin drawn on his face. He was a lanky man, with short auburn hair, a bulk of it stood up, and a single strand refused to cooperate and assumed a dangling position in the middle of his forehead. A metal stud on his left ear gleamed in the light. He scratched the stubble on his chin thoughtfully, pulling out a small pad of paper.

"Welcome!" he bowed, "how about some Coffee?- Ah! Mr. Cain!"

"Johnny, this is Sky," Cain introduced, and added jokingly, "she's my… Second-hand daughter?"

"Aww, daughter?" Sky grinned, placing a warm hand on Cain's, "thank you, I appreciate it!"

"Hello, Miss Sky," Johnny greeted shyly, "what will you be having?"

"Triple-Meat Jam-Pa-" Cain sighed, feeling slightly frustrated reading it aloud, "maybe you should change the names, Johnny?"

Johnny sighed, shoulders slumping, "I know, I know, its just that I keep losing customers, so I was trying to appeal to the younger generation, and…" he sighed heartily again.

"Maybe its because you keep telling people your story, and they leave you for her?" Cain suggested.

Johnny perked up, and he gave a large grin, "So have you heard my story, Miss Sky?"

Sky shook her head, inching forward in her chair, eager to hear the oh-so-special story. Johnny pulled over a nearby chair, and quickly sat down,

"The name of this cafe is Johnny's Heaven, right?" Johnny began with a hook, "Its name is similar to that of a diner that once existed in the slums of Sector Seven. That diner's name was "Seventh Heaven"; it had a hostess, so beautiful, strong, amazing, charming and feminine," he took a moment to sigh and daydream, "that I fell in love with her. She was wonderful. She was everything I had ever wanted, she was better than anything I've ever dreamed of. That girl's name was Tifa,

"She could make the most intoxicating drink, cook the most delicious omelette, and kick your ass out of there if you get too drunk. she had the sweetest smile, and the kindest eyes…"

Sky blinked, "She sounds amazing."

"Unfortunately, Sector Seven collapsed, and 7th Heaven was no more, but… Tifa opened up a new Seventh Heaven in Edge. At the time, everyone was lost, and I didn't know what to do with myself, where could we go from there? Everything was gone… And I was moved by how Tifa could decide what she should be doing while the rest of the crowd was still completely lost. And so, she became the person I respect most in the world, I wanted to live just like her, to be a person who knew what to do, so I decided to run a business too, and give hope to those who lost their way."

"When can I meet her?" Sky quickly asked, turning to Cain, excitement clear in her eyes.

Cain chuckled deeply, and said, "thats what everyone who hears the story says, I keep telling him, everyone wants to meet Tifa because of him, and thats how he loses his customers."

Johnny shook his head, "I don't mind, the more the merrier, I'm just spreading the hope and love."

"I wonder if she knows," Sky muttered, then added louder, "does she know? have you told her all of this?"

"well, uhh…" Johnny started, fidgeting with his pencil and pad of paper.

"I see," Sky mused, sliding back in her chair.

"Its just that… I know there's someone else in her heart,"

"If everyone already knows about it, there's no harm in her knowing too," Sky said, "and you never know, maybe once she sees your sincerity…"

Johnny nodded, glancing down at his hands. Sky's stomach growled noisily, and Cain quickly ordered burgers and milkshakes for the pair of them, and Johnny left to cook.

"So who's this mysterious lady? 'Tifa'?" Sky turned to Cain, sure he knew more than what Johnny was saying.

"Tifa is a dynamic woman," Cain started, folding his arms over his chest as he glanced outside at the empty horizon, "she's a sweetheart."

"And?" Sky eyed him.

"I'm not sure if i should mention this in here," Cain muttered, looking over Johnny in the distance, "I don't want to break the image he has of her."

"oOh," Sky nodded, folding her arms over her chest as well, "so she's human after all."

"She is just as deadly as she is beautiful," Cain said sombrely, watching Johnny as he headed over to their table, plates in hand.

"Two Triple-Meat Jam-Pa-… Two Burgers, no pickles for Mr. Cain, and no onions for Miss Sky," he announced, setting down the plates.

"Just change the names, Johnny," Cain laughed.

"Speaking of names," Johnny said, turning to Sky, "What did you name your workshop?"

"ahh…" Sky sighed, shoulders slumping slightly, "I'm still brainstorming. if you have any ideas, feel free to-"

"I don't think he should feel free to," Cain interrupted jokingly, "he would name it The Electro-Screwdriver, or Magic-Motor or maybe… The Multiple-Capablites Workshop."

"Magic-Motor sounds crazy good!" Johnny grinned, giving a thumbs up.

Cain shook his head with a laugh, patting Johnny on the back, "Thanks for the free food, Johnny."

"No problem!" Johnny smiled widely, walking away for clean-up a few tables away.

Cain and Sky devoured their burgers within minutes, The Triple-Meat Jam-Packed Burger held up to its name; with three layers of meat, four layers of cheese, and an assortment of pickles, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and bell pepper, it was indeed a mouth full.

The pair of them headed out of the shop an hour later, well fed with smiles on their faces. Sky thanked Cain for his excellent choice in dining, as they walked off in the general direction of home.

On their way, a grey pickup truck came to stop next to them, coughing and spluttering to dead silence.

Glancing at each other, they nodded.

A man exited the truck in huff, slamming the door shut behind him, and cursing angrily under his breath.

"Do you need a hand, sir?" Sky offered.

The man mumbled under his breath incoherently, not even bothering to spare them a glance. Shrugging his shoulders, he moved to lift the bonnet. He hissed in pain and pulled his hand away instantly. White smoke started to rise from beneath. Cain shuffled over.

The man turned to Cain, "Well? Can you fix it?"

Cain blinked at the man, walked around the truck deliberately, assessing the wheels and break lights, and sighed dramatically.

"Oh dear," he shook his head, "I have no idea whatsoever… It looks like I cant be of any use to you…"

"What do you mean? Didn't you just offer help?"

Cain sighed once more, crossing his arms over his chest. He glanced shiftily at Sky, who squinted at him suspiciously. He added, pronouncing each syllable slowly, as if the words might be misheard or misunderstood if he didn't, "If only there was a mechanic near by…"

"Oh!" Sky gasped, jumping forward on cue, "ah Sir! I am a mechanic!"

"You?"

"Your engine's overheated, when was the last time you refilled the water?"

The man blinked at her, face blanching slightly in realisation. Sky nodded and patted his shoulder.

"Its okay, its a quick fix," Sky comforted, "Maybe you should take a break, have some lunch at Johnny's Heaven over there, and we'll fix it in no time!"

"I'm feeling thirsty myself, I'll join you," Cain grinned, throwing an arm over the man's shoulders and leading him away, winking at Sky as he walked past, "you know, there's this great car repair shop on the edge of the city…"

Sky shook her head as she watched them disappear into the shop. Cain was just as endearing as her mother, both tried so hard to create opportunities for her, to push them her way, in the hopes that she will stand on her own two feet again.

she rolled her sleeves up, and scratched her chin lightly. walking towards the bonnet, the hissing had quieted down, she quickly found the latch, and pulled open the bonnet. She sighed in relief, just as she had guessed, overheating. she nodded in determination, she could do this.

* * *

Leaning over a stack of small rectangle shaped papers, and holding a large red Marker, Sky scribbled away. Changing the name of the workshop was the first step to making it her own, Cain had said. For a few days, Sky crunched letters and numbers, and eventually came up with a semi-decent name after reading an article in the newspaper that day.

'The Sharpest Edge' newspaper was famous for titles such as '_President ShinRa: Making Amends, Or Making More Bends?__'_ and '_After Meteorfall, What Befalls Midgar__'__s Citizens?_'. In the spirit of said newspaper, Sky had managed to get into its rhythm and come up with one on her own.

Staring down at the name '_Mecha-Mecca_' after the eightieth time writing it, Sky wondered if it was suitable.

There was a lot in a name, Sky thought. A name symbolised the first impression, the first judgemental thought of a person or place.

Outside, the barber shop down the street was named '_Hirsute__'_ which on a first impression sounded exotic and fancy in some way, and after careful research and questioning, was discovered to actually _be_ an exotic word for 'hairy'. Sky felt that whoever named the shop was a rather sharp individual, one she wished could help her.

Mecha-Mecca.

It either sent the right message across, or it sounded like it a stutter.

She tried to think of how it would sound when she answered the phone, '_Hello and welcome, dear Sir! It is I, Lady of the Mecca of Mecha, owner of Mecha-Mecca, how may I be of Service to you, good Sir?_' Sky shook her head in disgust,

_maybe not_.

After writing the words and the contact number once more, she pushed the small slip aside, and went for the next. Each time she wrote down the name, she carefully drew each letter, fearful of confusing the two words, 'Mecca-Mecha' or Mecha-Mecca'.

The phone rang interrupting her mechanical movements, and summoned her attention. Picking it up, it was a customer, Sky couldn't stifle an excited grin.

"Hello, Mecha-Mecca at your service, you name it, we got it!_"_

Finally, the shop was catching attention, and gaining customers.

A familiar exaggerated long groan came from the other side of the telephone call. Sky's eyebrows twitched in irritation instantly.

"For Hyne's sake! Is this a damn joke to you? Where the hell is Bolt?!" the man grunted, frustration clear in his voice.

"Sir, as I've said the last three times, Bolt's no longer in service," Sky massaged her temples, and attempted her mother's singsong voice that she used to lure in customers, "but fortunately for you, Mecha-Mecca is, so let us be of service to you!"

"I don't need no damn lassy to help me, you'll mess up everything! I need a man! I need Bolt! Where. Is. BOLT?!" the man shrieked the last few words, making Sky jerk the phone away from her ear.

She grit her teeth, quietly fuming.

"Well, then Mr. Pyke, if you are so sure of my messing up everything, then how about we make a deal?" Sky sang, grinning excitedly.

Mr. Pyke's interested piqued, he inquired for further details. Sky would attempt to fix his choking dishwasher, if she failed she will pay for its repairs, and if she was successful he had to promise to mention her shop in good account to at least fifteen people. The deal was set, the man had nothing to lose.

A fifteen-minute jog later, Sky had made her way to the man's house with toolbox and -belt in hand. He opened the door for her, a man in his late thirties with a beer belly, and receding hairline. He gestured to the faulty dishwasher, his arms crossed over his chest sneering as he watched her assess the situation. A lady stood in the kitchen, jeans pants and Polka-dotted shirt sleeves cuffed, and busily trying to wipe away the water and soap bubbling from the dishwasher.

Sky grinned, a familiar site. The only things missing were strips of lace and pink, and the smell of freshly baked cookies, and she would be back at Cala's Bunnery.

She could almost taste her victory.

"Now remember, fifteen people, all in good word, and family members or people within the same circle don't count." Sky reminded, her grin getting wider as she set down her tool box. The man snorted, scratched his belly and shuffled off to take a seat in the living room in front of the television screen to resume watching his favourite Greasy Meats Food Show.

With the power source cut off, Sky checked the door latch, hinges, and gaskets. As well as the seals around the tub, float, heater and diffuser. No damage. Almost losing hope, and coming to the realisation that the deal could indeed backfire, she began to count mentally count the coins in her purse back home.

She shook her head, and quickly ran through a mental checklist of possible causes.

The drain hoses!

Quickly snatching up those spindly hoses, she assessed the situation, and instantly found the problem; one of the hoses was completely blocked.

She quickly went about fixing it, some pliers and bucket-loads of spillage later, and the dishwasher was up and running. She pushed herself up, soaked to the bone and grinning victoriously.

"O' Mr. Pyke!" Sky sang, packing up her tools. the man sauntered in, his gloating smirk fell. handing him fifteen cards with the words _Mecha-Mecca_ scribbled on them in red, she said, "this '_lassy_' just fixed you dishwasher!"

the man's jaw hinged and unhinged, he swallowed and nodded his head, "you sure have…"

"Excuse me, miss," interrupted the lady, tapping Sky lightly on the shoulder to get attention, "have a look at the laundry machine, will you?"

Sky grinned, there was hope for her in Edge yet.

* * *

-A/N: Happy Birthday, Bestie. I am blessed to have you in my life.


End file.
